Falling Snow
by Allen Blaster
Summary: Naofumi: "I think... it is because the falling snow not only brings out the beauty in the world... but it also brings out the beauty in your partner's eyes." Christmas One-Shot. RaphxFumi, with the lovable Filo ruining their moment like always.


**I thought I'd do a cute simple idea for Christmas. Of course, I wrote this all out on Christmas Eve because the idea came to mind after I finished my last update to Hope of the Shield Hero. Thanks again to E2Moto for helping me with this quick idea. I hope you all enjoy the one-shot!**

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**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Rising of the Shield Hero_

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**Falling Snow**

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Naofumi sighed to himself while he looked glumly out of the window of his Rock Valley home.

'_I can't believe it's already that time of year…'_

It was night. There had been a blizzard earlier in the day that had dropped a fresh foot of snow onto the ground, but now it was lightly snowing. As he watched, he saw a timer he had set on his status window, winding down the minutes until tomorrow.

_'It's almost Christmas…'_

The gang had gathered to Rock Valley for Christmas. Melty, who had permission from her mother to spend Christmas in Rock Valley, was asleep in Filo's room. Sadeena was fast asleep in a room next to them. Raphtalia was asleep in their shared room. Rishia was in another house taking care of Itsuki, helping him to recover from the effects of his Cursed Series. Ren was in town to celebrate Christmas, and to help Wyndia take care of her monsters. Motoyasu… was somewhere. Likely sleeping in his house with the bird Filo plushie.

Ever since he'd gotten his Cursed Series, Motoyasu had gotten even weirder. Especially in regards to Filo.

_'Fifteen more minutes…'_

The three snowmen that Filo, Melty, and Raphtalia had made were outside several dozen feet away from the window. Facing towards the cliffside that led down to the water below. Their wooden arms waved in the light breeze, greeting whoever was to approach. With the lightly falling snow, the nighttime scene looked beautiful.

Yet Naofumi wasn't really looking outside to see the beauty of nature being covered in a fresh white slate from the lightly falling snow… he wasn't thinking about how his friends were gathered together not because of the threat of the waves, but because of the holiday… he was thinking about something else...

He sighed again. '_I miss them…'_

The falling snow at this time reminded him of home. While it didn't snow often in the major city he'd lived in back in Japan, it had almost always seemed to snow on Christmas Eve. He had plenty of memories of Christmas Eve being spent with his family. Hunkered down in their small home, watching Christmas Shows together while sipping Hot Chocolate with little marshmallows floating in their drinks. Talking, laughing, and being happy with each other in a way that didn't seem possible to replicate at any other time of the year.

His family, like others in Japan, didn't celebrate Christmas as a religious celebration. Rather, it was looked at as a time to spread happiness... to be joyful with one another. To lend a helping hand, to say something nice to your neighbor, and so on. Even though he'd grown up an otaku, Naofumi appreciated how Christmas had brought his family together in one of the darkest times of the year. He appreciated how the snow had always seemed to blanket the world outside his home and made his city look beautiful under a light layering of white.

The falling snow had been something he'd loved most about the holiday… but it served as a reminder of memories he wouldn't have anymore.

Naofumi looked sadly down at the windowsill. '_I miss them a lot.'_

It had been about eight months since he'd been summoned to Melromarc to fight the waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero. A lot had happened during that time. He'd learned a lot during that time. He'd grown a lot during that time…

He glanced up again, seeing the wreath hanging around the neck of one of the two snowmen. It had several small magical balls of light hanging from it, lightly illuminating the smiling snowman. Like a glowing spindly scarf.

One of the things Naofumi had learned as the end of the year approached was how the past heroes hadn't just protected the world before but had also brought the concept of the Christmas Holiday to it. Now they hadn't taught the people about Santa, or about Christianity, or about the Roman roots of the holiday. Rather, they had taught about its importance in being a time of happiness, of giving gifts to one another, of celebrating, and so forth. These past few weeks have seen the village of Rock Valley steadily transform with the coming of the Christmas season, just like his city back home. Training for the waves ceased, and the training fields were converted into festival grounds. Accessory and other types of merchants visited towns en masse, advertising their merchandise as great surprises to be given to loved ones.

And whilst no one, except probably Faubley, had the technology to make Christmas lights, that hasn't stopped light magic users, especially Raphtalia, from trying their best to capture the Christmas Spirit with various dazzling forms of magic light… including the wreath around the snowman, and the magic multi-colored lights Raphtalia had managed to create out of magic for the tree behind Naofumi in the corner of the living room. Yet despite all that...

Naofumi looked sadly down at the windowsill again. '_I miss them… I miss my family…'_

Naofumi Iwatani didn't miss much from back home. Despite his bad start in this world. A very bad start… he'd become friends with many more people. He'd learned valuable skills and grew in ways he never could have imagined. He had party members he trusted with his life… he had the best demi girl in the world as his companion. He should have been happy...

However, the Christmas holiday and falling snow only helped him to miss home. It made him miss his family. It reminded him of all the good times he had with his family. The good times he'd shared especially with his younger brother. He missed him… and his parents.

He sighed glumly again and closed his eyes. Feeling sad that he was trapped in another world… '_I wish I could see them for Christmas…'_

…

"Naofumi."

Naofumi opened his eyes and turned his head. Raphtalia was standing in the doorway, dressed in a blue nightgown. She didn't look like she had woken up. "What are you doing up so late?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Naofumi responded, before looking out the window again.

"I've been waiting for you," Raphtalia said as she walked up next to him. Her deep tea-red eyes sparkled with the lights of the tree as she approached. "Is there something on your mind?" She sincerely asked.

"... I'm sorry." Naofumi said sadly. "I honestly don't know if I'll feel like sleeping tonight Raphtalia." '_Not when I'm wishing that I could be with my family right now. Not when I'm wishing I could let them know that I'm okay, and wondering if they're still happy or not with me missing…'_

"... Is it okay if I stay here with you?" She asked after a moment.

Naofumi gave her a silent nod and Raphtalia leaned her head on his shoulder. Her right arm hugged around his lower back. The two of them stared quietly out the frosted window for a moment…

…

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

…

Naofumi put an arm over her shoulders. "Not yet…" He whispered. "I need a moment."

Raphtalia nodded silently and relaxed against Naofumi's side. For a while, neither of them spoke. The two stared out the window at the lightly falling snow blanketing the world outside. Raphtalia's tail slowly flicking left and right behind her.

…

'_I miss them…'_ Naofumi thought sadly…

He then looked down at Raphtalia, who was watching the falling snow outside. Her eyes looked full of wonder at seeing something so beautiful and wonderful outside. Her awe at the beauty hidden in the lightly falling snow.

"Isn't it pretty out there?" Naofumi asked.

"It's beautiful," Raphtalia said. "It snows every year here in my village, but it always looks so amazing," Raphtalia said in awe.

He looked out the window again. "It didn't snow every year where I lived in my world. But for the majority of my childhood, every year on Christmas Eve, like magic, a winter storm would come in. Painting the world outside my home white…"

Raphtalia remained quiet. Allowing Naofumi to think to himself as he watched a snowflake gradually make its way to rest on the ground. A random thought came to mind. "I grew up learning no snowflake was the same," Naofumi commented.

"Hmmm?" Raphtalia hummed curiously.

"I was told by my teachers that out of all the snowflakes in the world, no two are alike. Each one is different from one another in some way. Each one has something unique to them that makes them stand out amongst all the billions or trillions of other snowflakes all over the world." He said. He didn't sound as sad as he talked about the falling snow.

"Granted, I don't know if they knew that other worlds with snow existed or not. Otherwise, they'd probably throw away that theory." Naofumi said jokingly. Raphtalia giggled softly in response. "But after learning that, it amazed me every year that despite all of these snowflakes being different from each other in some way, they still blended together like now to make something beautiful..." He said in admiration.

"Was snow really the same in your world?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"I mean, it didn't snow nearly as much where I lived in the city as it does here," Naofumi answered embarrassingly. "If it snowed over a foot where I lived, they would have thought it was the end of the world."

Raphtalia slightly smiled. "But…"

Naofumi's lips curved up a little bit. "But there were parts of the world that me and my family visited that had this much snow. There was a mountain range we loved to visit that gave you a great view of the countryside. Where you could see how the snow made everything old in the world look new. It gave me and my family a fresh perspective on the world around us. At least most of the time." He joked again. "My brother didn't like the snow for some reason. But I guess not everyone likes snow-" He was saying.

"Is that what's on your mind Naofumi?" Raphtalia quietly asked.

Naofumi looked down at her. She was still leaning against him, but now her head was down, and she was looking at the windowsill sadly. "Am I thinking about the people who hate snow?" He asked confusedly.

"No… Do you miss your family from back home?" Raphtalia quietly asked.

Naofumi had learned a lot. But he never did learn how Raphtalia could read what was on his mind at times. He'd been briefly distracted from his past thoughts, but with Raphtalia's words, they came back to mind. "Yes." He admitted. He looked sadly out the window again at the falling snow. "I miss them a lot."

"Is that why you can't sleep tonight?" She then asked.

"Yeah. I can't stop thinking about them. Christmas was one of our favorite times of the year where we came together and felt like a… like a family. And I… I miss that." He said sadly.

…

He waited for Raphtalia to comfort him about it. It was what he was guessing she'd do now that she knew.

…

"I miss my family too," Raphtalia finally admitted.

Naofumi looked back down at her in surprise. "That's the other reason why I couldn't sleep." She continued. "I close my eyes, and I remember past Christmases."

… "I'd go to bed late on Christmas Eve after making my parents stay up to read me bedtime stories. Despite that, I'd still wake up early on Christmas Day full of energy. I'd throw open my parent's door and jump onto their bed, yelling happily that it was Christmas."

Naofumi found himself thinking about it from Raphtalia's point of view. He could imagine her as a little girl doing that. He'd done the same thing himself to his parents when he was a little kid.

Raphtalia was smiling, but she had tears coming from her eyes. "I remember my Dad carrying me on his back down the stairs. My mom using her light magic to cause our tree and all the presents underneath to sparkle with light. I remember the hot chocolate my dad would make so we could warm our hands... I remember how I'd get to unwrap my presents under their watchful eyes. I'd always save the ones that looked the most interesting when I'd get to help my parents take presents to Rifana and Keel. And we'd get to open the rest of our gifts together..." Raphtalia continued from her memories.

Raphtalia's family hadn't been rich enough to afford to wrap presents in paper. Still, there had always been something wonderful to her about the cloth-covered gifts. And something just as, if not more wonderful, when giving some of these gifts to her friends herself. Before they'd sit in the snow and open them, laughing and being happy all the while.

Raphtalia looked through the falling snow at the edge of the cliff. Where her parent's graves were hidden under the snow. Where Rifana's grave was hidden under the snow. More tears came to her eyes, and she wiped them away with her free hand. "This is the first year that I'm not going to have Christmas with them. And I..." She continued sadly. "And I miss them… I miss them so… so much…" Her voice cracked.

Naofumi moved, so instead of his arm being over her shoulders, he was embracing the crying Tanuki to him. '_Raphtalia…'_ He realized he wasn't the only one missing his family. He at least had the comfort that his family was alive. Raphtalia didn't...

Raphtalia sniffled. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry Naofumi." She said sadly.

"No, it's fine. Gods, I'd forgotten this was your first Christmas without your family too." He said.

After a moment, Raphtalia pulled away from Naofumi and the window to wipe her eyes. She looked shy and vulnerable at that moment. "What I wanted to say was that I understand how you're feeling right now Naofumi. I miss my parents too. I miss Rifana and my other friends who didn't survive the Waves or Slavery. I miss them so much, and I wish they could be here with me…" She paused to take a deep, calming breath. "But… but I'm… I'm happy to have Melty, Filo, and you here as my family and friends this Christmas." She admitted. "I'm happy that Keel and Sadeena are alive to celebrate. I'm happy that Filo will get to celebrate her first Christmas with us... And I'm happy that, even though there won't be any bedtime stories this year, that I'll still be able to spend Christmas with you, Naofumi."

Naofumi continued to stare at her. She finally gathered the courage to look up at him. "Even if you miss your family Naofumi, I'm grateful that the first Christmas I'm spending without my family is with you."

Naofumi's face softened, and tears appeared in his eyes. '_This girl sometimes…' _He moved forward away from the window and cupped one of Raphtalia's cheeks. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"There's one more fact I don't think I mentioned about falling snow," Naofumi whispered.

"What is that?" Raphtalia asked quietly.

"On Christmas Eve, in Japan, when the snow is lightly falling, that's when couples would come together to exchange presents with each other." He said.

"Why?"

"I think... it is because the falling snow not only brings out the beauty in the world... but it also brings out the beauty in your partner's eyes." He said. He then leaned in the rest of the way, and lightly kissed Raphtalia on the lips.

The two held their position for a moment. Raphtalia's tail started to wag uncontrollably behind her. It wasn't their first kiss, but that is a story for another time.

After the kiss, he rested his head on hers and embraced her again. Raphtalia hugged him back, more happy tears leaking from her eyes. "Thank you, Naofumi." She said sincerely.

"That's what couples are for." He replied.

_'I miss my family… but I'm so happy that I found this one.'_ They thought to themselves at the same time.

At the same moment they thought that, the timer on Naofumi's status screen hit 0. It was now 12:00 A.M. Christmas Day.

Naofumi pulled back to look Raphtalia in the eyes. "Merry Christmas, Raphtalia."

She smiled as she leaned in to kiss him again. "Merry Christmas, Naofumi."

All felt right in that moment as the two were about to kiss again-

"Master! Why are you being all lovey-dovey with big Sis and not meeeee!" The little blonde-haired Filo complained.

The two of them jerked back from each other and looked at the doorway that led to the stairs. Filo was pouting in the doorway, and Melty was pouting alongside her too.

"Awww, and I thought they were down here trying to wrap our presents while we were asleep," Melty said sadly. "I wanted to see what I was getting."

Raphtalia was blushing heavily at being caught by the two young children. "Melty, Filo-" She tried to say.

"What are you two doing up this late at night?! You should be in bed!" Naofumi asked angrily.

_'Damn it!? Why does Filo always have to be the one to ruin my moments with Raphtalia?!'_ Naofumi thought angrily. It was like the fat loli bird had been born to be his and Raphtalia's birth control pill with how often she ruined their romantic moments.

"Filo said she was hearing you two talking down here. And I thought she meant you were wrapping our presents-" Melty tried to explain. She was blushing just as hard as Raphtalia was.

"Save it, Second Princess! Both of you go back to bed now!" Naofumi ordered.

"Wahhhh! But I want to stay up with Master tooooooo!" Filo complained childishly.

"What have I told you about calling me Second Princess?!" Melty complained angrily. "I prefer Melty or Mel! Not Second Princess!"

*Yawn* "Ara ara. What's with all the yelling out here?" A very tired and hungover Sadeena appeared behind Filo and Melty, drowsily rubbing her eyes.

"Big Sis is trying to hog Master all to herself!" Filo complained to Sadeena before Naofumi or Raphtalia could say anything.

Sadeena suddenly looked far more interested. "Is that so?"

'_Oh crap. Not this again.'_ Naofumi thought as Sadeena took on a more seductive pose. "Maybe I could join in on this fun-" She started to tease.

"Nope! That does it! Merry Christmas, but get back to bed!" Naofumi yelled at the group of girls.

"But I wanted to see what I was getting-" Melty tried to complain.

"No, shoo, shoo!" Naofumi yelled as he herded the three girls towards the door. Raphtalia following along behind him. She giggled lightly into her hand at how cute Naofumi looked as he was flustered from the whole situation.

'_I think tomorrow's going to be a great Christmas.'_

"Can I at least grab my booze before I go back to bed-" Sadeena tried to beg.

"NO!"

"Awwwwww..."

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**Author's Notes:**

**This should be posting right at midnight Eastern Standard Time. So to all of you, Merry Christmas from North Carolina!**

**Till Next Time**

**Allen**


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